Improvement in shaft-couplings



W; D. FORBES.

Shaft-Coupling.

No. 212,547. Patented Feb. 25, I879.

J'i'if.

- JQ fi. 11a. 5

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

WILLIAM D. FORBES, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN SHAFT-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212, 547, datedFebruary 25, 1879; application filed August 19, 1878.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. FORBES, of Buffalo, New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Shaft-Couplings, of which thefollowing is a specification The object of my invention is to make acheap, simple, and effective device for coupling shafts; and this objectI attain in the following manner, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an end view of my improvedshaft-coupling; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section on the line 1 2; Fig. 3,a longitudinal section on the line 3 4, and Fig. 4 an enlarged view ofpart of the device.

Myimproved coupling consists of three main parts, namely: first, theclamping-plates B- three in the present inst-ance-the plates beingadapted to the shafts A A; second, the two slotted rings D D; and,third, the bolts G, passing through the two rings.

For shafts of ordinary size three clampingplates are preferred, althoughtwo may be used in some instances; but for larger shafts there may bemore than three plates, which are of segmental form, and of such a widththat when fitted snugly to the shafts there shall be narrow spaces xbetween the adjoining plates.

Each clamping-plate has on one edge two ribs, 0 c, and on the other edgetwo similar ribs, ff, all the ribs terminating in a central enlargement,h, the object of which is merely to add to the strength of the plate.Each rib is made on a taper, being inclined on its inner edge, X, sothat when the plates are fitted to the shaft, as shown in Fig. 2, therib e of one plate B and the rib f of the adjoining plate B will formtogether a wedge-shaped projection, beveled at the edges, (for each ribis beveled,) as indicated by the dotted lines 00 as, Fig. 4. Thistapering and beveled projection is adapted to a slot, 6, in the ring D,the latter having two additional slots for the two remaining taperin gprojections. In like manner the ribs 0 and f of adjacent platesconstitute awedge-shaped projection, adapted to a slot in the ring D,which has two additional slots for the other projections.

When the two rings are made to approach each other by tightening thenuts of the bolts G, all three clamping-plates will be simulta neouslybound to the two shafts A and A alike, the edges of the three slots inthe ring D bearing near one end of the coupling against the inclined andbeveled sides of the tapering projections formed by the ribs 6 and f. Inlike manner and at the same time the opposite sides of the three slotsin the ring D will act, near the other end of the coupling, on thetapering beveled projections formed by the ribs 6 and f. In other words,the forcing of the rings toward each other by tightening the nuts of thebolts will tend to force the edges of the adjoining platessimultaneously toward each other, and will insure such a griping of theshafts that they will be effectually coupled together by the plates.

It should be understood that there is no bearing of the rings on theclamping-plates, 'eX- ceptin g against the inclined and beveled sides oftheir ribs, there being spaces on between the inner circumference ofeach ring and the plates, and spaces a between the bottoms of the slotsin the ring and the upper edges of the ribs of the plates; hence thecoupling can be very economically manufactured, the only parts of eachclamping-plate which have to be finished being the inclined and beveledsides of the ribs and the part whichfits to the shaft, and the onlyparts of each ring where accuracy is required being the opposite sidesof each slot.

I claim as my invention- A shaft-coupling consisting of clampingplatesB, each having beveled and tapering ribs 6 e and ff, slotted rings D D,adapted to the plates and ribs, and bolts G, all combined substantiallyas set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed in yname to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM D. FORBES.

Witnesses:

RICHARD H. Norms, A. B. KELLOGG.

